Clothes hanger entangling guard



March 13, 1962 J. P. OKEEFE 3,024,953

CLOTHES HANGER ENTANGLING GUARD Filed Feb. 24, 1959 INVENTOR J Pat 07K6f6 BY fimfW ATTORNEYS Tite The invention relates to a means for avoiding the entangling of clothes hangers of the so-called wire type, and more especially to a means readily attachable to a hanger of this type which is effective in preventing the troublesome entangling that occurs when a plurality of hangers are positioned on a clothes rod in closely juxtaposed re lation.

The type of clothes hanger most commonly used today is made of a single length of wire formed in a closed loop, and provided with an extension bent in the form of a hook adapted to fit over a horizontal clothes rod, or over a supporting hook. The loop is usually of triangular or trapezoidal form similar to a triangle, including a base opposite the hook portion. When a number of hangers of this type are arranged in juxtaposed relation on a clothes rod, or on a supporting clothes hook, it has been found that the ends of the loop, adjacent the base, and forming acute angles, have a tendency to entangle, wherein the point formed by the acute angle on one hanger enters the angle portion of the loops of one or more adjacent juxtaposed hangers. This troublesome condition usually occurs when the hangers are empty. Another troublesome entangling condition also occurs, when the hangers are empty or are carrying clothes, as the result of the hooked portion of one hanger overlapping the hooked portion of one or more adjacent hangers.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide guard means to prevent the troublesome entanglement of juxtaposed clothes hangers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide one or more guards Within the loop of the clothes receiving portion of a coat hanger to prevent the angular point of an adjacent hanger from passing into the loop.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a guard for the hooked portion of a clothes hanger to prevent entanglement with the hooked portion of juxtaposed hangers. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide a guard for a clothes hanger which can be applied to hangers having a closed clothes receiving loop, and which can easily be attached and removed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a guard which can be applied to the hooked portion of a clothes hanger, and which can easily be attached and removed.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a guard, for a clothes hanger, having a flat surface preseating a field on which a swatch, color coding, price, or any other information, could be affixed. 1

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a clothes hanger showing the loop guards and hook guard;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the hook guard, with parts broken away, to illustrate the hook receiving channel;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the hook guard as viewed from the left of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is another end view of the hook guard as viewed from the right of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view through the loop portion guard, taken on the plane 55 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged elevation view of the hook portion of a clothes hanger showing a modified form of guard; and

States Patent 0 FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the guard of FIG. 6, taken on the plane 77 thereof looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 1 illustrates the guards as applied to a conventional wire hanger, commonly in use.

The clothes hanger is designated in its entirety by the numeral 10 and is made by bending a single length of wire to form a loop or clothes receiving portion 12, and a hook portion 14. One end of the wire is twisted about the shank 16 of the hook portion to form the clothes receiving loop 12.

The loop portion is usually formed in the shape of a triangle, or in the form of a trapezoid approximating a triangle. In the form chosen for purposes of illustration, the loop is bent into a base portion 18 a parallel short upper portion 20, and two sides 22, each forming with the base 18 the same angle, and joined thereto by curved portions 24. The curved portion 24, in combination with the base 18 and sides 22, form on the inside of the loop, acute angles usually less than 45.

The hook portion 14, as illustrated, terminates in a generally U-shaped form, having parallel legs, adapted to fit a clothes rod, pole or clothes hook, for supporting the clothes receiving loop, as is well known in the art.

While, in the illustrated embodiment, the hanger has been disclosed as being made of wire, it is obvious that the invention is applicable to hangers made of other materials, such as plastic.

In the use of such hangers, especially when a number of hangers are placed in juxtaposition on a hook, pole, or rod, it is well known that the angular ends 24 of one hanger frequently pass through the loops of one or more adjoining hangers, resulting in a troublesome entanglement. Another source of entanglement results when the hook portion 14 of one clothes hanger engages the hook portion of one or more adjoining hangers.

In order to prevent such troublesome entanglement, suitable guards are provided for the clothes-receiving loop portion 12 and for the supporting hook ortion 14.

The loop guard 26 comprises a fiat, thin sheet of suit able material, such as aluminum or other metal, plastic, fiber board, etc. This guard is roughly of triangular form, to fit within the angle formed between base 18, side 22, and the curved joining portion 24. The guard is provided, along its upper end lower edges, with a plurality of spaced opposed fingers 28. These fingers have certain inherent resiliency, because of the material of which they are made, and in their unsprung position, describe a part of a circle having a diameter somewhat less than the diameter of the material of the hanger. The fingers form a circle having an arcuate extent of roughly 270. With this construction, the guards 26 can be in serted in the angles formed within the lower part of the loop, and the fingers 28 can be snapped over the base 18 and sides 22, as clearly shown in FIG. 5. This manner of connection is effective to securely hold the guard in position, and yet provides a connection by which the guard can be easily removed whenever desired.

The particular size of the guard should be that size sulfiicent to prevent the angular ends of adjoining hangers from entering the loop. It has been found, from experionce, that it is necessary that the guard occupy but a small portion of the internal area of the loop.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, which show the guard for the hook portion, it should be noted that the guard in its entirety is designated by the reference numeral 30'. The guard comprises a lower hook engaging portion 32, and an upper upright portion 34. The portion 34 is made of rather thin flat material, preferably rectangular in form as shown, and provided on both sides thereof with a field 36 to receive identifying indicia, such as, for example, a swatch, a color code, or a price tag, etc. The upper portion 34 extends above the hook portion '14 of the hanger for a distance approximately equal to the depth of the curved hook lying above the shank 16. The lower or hook engaging portion 32 is generally U-shaped in form, comprising spaced legs 40' and 42, joined by a bight portion 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the legs and bight portion are generally in the same form. as the hook portion of the hanger. The hook engaging portion 32 is provided with a channel 3 8, formed by spaced sidewalls, the end walls being open as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the channel extends from one end to the other, providing a continuous channel to receive the upper curved end of the hook portion 14. The lower end of the leg 40 has a pocket 44 therein, to receive the end of the hook portion 14, while the other leg 42 is provided with a slit 46 to permit the curved portion of the hook portion 14 to enter the channel 38. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the opposed walls of the slit 46 are provided with a pair of opposed lips 48, adapted to engage the convex surface of the hook portion 14 when said hook portion is received within the channel 38. The slit 46, as shown in FIG. 4, is not as wide as the diameter of the hook portion 14, but due to the inherent resiliency of the material fromwhich the guard is made, the lips are spread apart to permit the entry of the hook portion 14 into the channel 38.

The guard 30 is made up of suitable material having resilient characteristics, such as plastics, metals, fiber board, etc.

It will be noted, with reference to FIG. 2, that the leg 42 is slightly shorter than the leg 40, in order to facilitate assembly. In fitting the guard over the hook portion 14, the guard may be held in an upright position, and the free end of the hook portion 14 passed from end to end through the channel over the bight portion 50, the free end of the hook portion 14 being held in a horizontal position. When the free end has been so passed through the channel 38, and the curved portion inserted through the slit 46, the hook portion is swung in a counterclockwise direction, so that the free end of the hook portion 14 will enter the pocket 44, and the concave portion of the hook portion 14 will rest on the concave surface of the bight 50, as shown in FIG. 2. In this modification, the legs 40 and 42 pass over opposite sides of the hook or rod so that the bight 50 engages said hook or rod, to support the hanger thereon.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a modification of the hook portion guard. Elements corresponding to those of the modification shown in FIGS. 1-6 have been designated by the same reference numeral with the addition of a prime affixed thereto. In the modification shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the channel 38 is generally of the same form as the end of the hook portion 14. The channel 3 8 is open on its concave wall by Way of a slit 52 having spaced lips 54. The space between the lips 54 is slightly less than the diameter of the hook portion 14 but, due to the inherent resiliency of the material from which the guard is made, these lips can be spread apart by the wedging action of the hook portion 14 when inserted in the channel.

In the latter modification, the free end of the hook portion 14 is first inserted in the pocket 44 after which the hook portion can be swung in a generally counterclockwise direction about this end which will cause the lips 54 to spread and allow the hook portion to enter the channel 38'. The lips 54 will engage the concave surface of the hook portion 14, and prevent separation of the guard and hook portion.

From the foregoing, it is evident that the guards 26 and 30 eifectively prevent entanglement of juxtaposed clothes hangers. As explained above, the guards 26 will prevent the angular ends of the loops of adjacent hangers from entering the area enclosed by the loop, while the guards 30 will retain the hook ends in adjacent parallel relation, and prevent one hook portion from passing over and entangling an adjacent hook portion.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clothes hanger comprising a clothes receiving portion formed of a loop of Wire generally triangular in configuration including a base and side walls converging upwardly from opposite sides of said base to a point of intersection above said base, a downwardly concave rigid hook portion having a shank extending upwardly from the point of intersection, and a pair of relatively rigid guard members disposed entirely within the loop of said hanger, each of said guard members having resilient downwardly facing channel means provided along the lower edge thereof resiliently gripping said base and resilient upwardly facing channel means along the upper edge thereof resiliently gripping the lower portion of one of said side walls, said guard members being thereby resiliently attached to said clothes receiving portion to substantially fill portions of said loop at the base angles thereof.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein additional guard means is secured to said hook portion including an enlarged flat upstanding portion projecting above said hook portion for a distance approximately equal to the depth of said hook portion.

3. A clothes hanger comprising a clothes receiving portion formed of a loop of wire generally triangular in configuration including a base and side walls converging upwardly from opposite sides of said base to a point of intersection above said base, a downwardly concave rigid hook portion secured above said clothes receiving portion at said point of intersection, and a guard member mounted on said hook portion including a channel adapted to receive a free end of said hook portion, said guard member including an enlarged fiat upstanding portion projecting above said hook portion for a distance approximately equal to the depth of said hook portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,722,609 Unkefer July 30, 1929 2,355,705 Cohn Aug. 15, 1944 2,386,059 Potoczky Oct. 2, 1945 2,407,015 Joseph Sept. 3, 1946 2,543,350 Bross Feb. 27, 1951 2,549,730 Wassarman Apr. 17, 1951 2,864,147 Solow Dec. 16, 1958 2,878,978 Glowka Mar. 24, 1959 

